Rupert Clarke (born September 10, 1975), best known by his

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Rupee, is a

soca music Soca music is a genre of music defined by Lord Shorty, its inventor, as the "Soul of Calypso", which has influences of African and East Indian rhythms. It was originally spelt "sokah" by its inventor but through an error in a local newspaper ...

ian from

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...

. He was born in the military barracks in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

to a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

mother and a

Bajan Bajan may refer to: Geography and culture Barbados * Barbadians, known by the colloquialism Bajan(s) (pronounced 'bay-jun') * Barbadian English language * Bajan Creole, a Creole language Other location * Something or someone from Baja ...

father, who was serving in the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

armed forces at the time. He later migrated to Barbados. He was signed to

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

Early life

By the age of nine, Rupee had lived in three different countries - Germany, England, and Barbados. Spending his first years in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, he was exposed to a contrast of sounds which reflected his parents' diverse backgrounds: calypso on the side of his

West Indian A West Indian is a native or inhabitant of the West Indies (the Antilles and the Lucayan Archipelago). For more than 100 years the words ''West Indian'' specifically described natives of the West Indies, but by 1661 Europeans had begun to use it ...

father, pop and rock and roll from his mother. He and his siblings would often perform on stage, coming up with all sorts of chants, rhymes and antics to tease the audience. Rupee eventually moved to

in 1985. He had his first major break after winning the Richard Stoute Teen Talent Competition in 1993, when he was a schoolboy at Harrison College.

Career

1997–2000: Coalishun

Rupee emerged on the local soca scene after being invited to join the then popular Bajan band, Coalishun, along with singers like Terencia Coward and Adrian Clarke in 1997. Though initially more

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rou ...

oriented, Rupee would find himself settling into the soca genre, a genre indigenous to

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

. This was marked by the release of his first hit single, "Ice Cream".

2000–present: Solo

"Ice Cream" was followed by a string of hit songs from three self-released solo albums. "Jump", from his first album, won Rupee repeated

Road March The Carnival Road March is the musical composition played most often at the "judging points" along the parade route during a Caribbean Carnival. Originating as part of the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival, the term has been applied to other Caribbean ...

titles at carnivals in Barbados,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

and

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

. " Tempted to Touch", from his second album, enjoyed over two years of international club play, spreading to urban and pop radio in Toronto and Miami. It became the catalyst for Rupee’s worldwide deal with

, as well as the first single from his '' 1 on 1'' album released in December 2004. Before deciding to pursue music full-time, Rupee explored other careers. After completing an associate degree in Graphic Arts from the

Barbados Community College The Barbados Community College is a tertiary institution located on Eyrie Howells' Road, Saint Michael, Barbados. History Founded in 1968, the Barbados Community College came to be as a result of an Act of Parliament aimed at making post seco ...

, he remained in that field for some time, working with two public relations/advertising agencies in Barbados.

Discography

Albums

*2001: ''Blame On It de Music'' *2002: ''Leave a Message'' *2003: ''Thisisrupee.com'' *2004: '' 1 on 1''

Singles

*2004: " Tempted to Touch" *2004: "What Happens in de Party" *2005: "Hands Up" *2006: "Massage" *2006: "Frenzy" *2007: "Slow Motion" *2008: "Magnet to Steel" *2008: "Living Lies" *2008: "Feet Don't Fail Me Now" *2009: "Standing Up Against the Law" *2009: "Single Ladies" *2010: "All Night Long" *2010: "Everybody" *2011: "I Am a Bajan" *2011: "How High" *2012: "Snake in the Grass" *2013: "My Day" *2013: "Nothing Sweeter" *2014: "Ah Playin Mas" *2015: "Footprints" *2015: "M.I.A (Missing in Action)" *2016: "Counting My Blessings" *2016: "I'll Be OK" *2016: "Tipsy" *2018: "Dip Down" *2018: "I've Got You Girl" *2018: "Perfect Fit" *2019: "Think Twice" *2019: "Most Wanted"

Collaborations

*2003: "Enjoy Yourself" feat.

Red Rat Wallace Wilson (born 17 January 1978), better known by the stage name Red Rat, is a Jamaican dancehall reggae recording and performing artist.Kellman, AndyRed Rat Biography, Allmusic, retrieved 2011-02-15 He is known for his up-beat music, com ...

*2003: "If You Only Knew" feat.

Destra Garcia Destra Garcia (born 10 November 1978) is a Trinidadian musician, singer and songwriter of soca music. She is also known by the mononym Destra. She is one of the most popular female soca artists in the world. Biography Childhood and early caree ...

*2004: "Tempted to Touch" feat.

Daddy Yankee Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez (born February 3, 1976), known professionally as Daddy Yankee, is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer, composer, and actor. Known as the " King of Reggaetón" by music critics and fans alike, he is the artist who coined ...

*2005: "

Do the Damn Thing Do, DO or D.O. may refer to: Languages * The English verb, ''do'', which may serve as an auxiliary verb; see do-support * ''Do'' (kana), a mora symbol in Japanese writing * Ditto mark People * Đỗ, a Vietnamese surname * Do (surname), inclu ...

" feat.

Lil' Kim Kimberly Denise Jones (born July 11, 1974), Those giving 1974 include: * * * * * better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper and reality television personality. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, she lived much of he ...

*2006: "Hurricane" feat.

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...

*2007: "Hey Mami" feat.

Wisin & Yandel Wisin & Yandel is a Puerto Rican reggaeton duo consisting of Wisin and Yandel. They started their career in the late 1990s and have been together since, winning several awards including a Grammy Award in 2009. They became the first and the only ...

*2007: "Game of Love and Unity" feat.

Shaggy Shaggy may refer to: People *Shaggy (musician) (born 1968), Jamaican American reggae rapper and singer *Shaggy 2 Dope, half of the hip hop, horrorcore band Insane Clown Posse *Shaggy Flores (born 1973), Nuyorican poet, writer and African diaspora ...

Fay-Ann Lyons Fay-Ann Lyons-Alvarez (born November 5, 1980) is a Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidadian Soca music, soca recording artist and songwriter. She is also known by the stage names Lyon Empress, Mane the Matriarch, and the Silver Surfer, a nickname which sh ...

*2008: "Push Up on Me" feat. Thara *2008: "No te veo" with

Jowell & Randy Jowell & Randy are a Puerto Rican reggaeton duo composed of Joel Muñoz (born March 3, 1982) and Randy Ortiz (born July 16, 1983). The duo have been active since the early-2000s and have become one of the most popular acts in reggaeton. They have ...

feat.

Pitbull Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was f ...

Nina Sky Nina Sky is an American musical duo consisting of identical twins Nicole and Natalie Albino. Their debut single "Move Ya Body", released from their self-titled debut album in 2004, was a success, reaching number four on the ''Billboard'' Hot 10 ...

Swizz Beatz Kasseem Daoud Dean (born September 13, 1978), known professionally as Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, rapper, disc jockey (DJ) and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, Dean embarked on his musical career as a DJ. At the ag ...

*2013: "On Parade" feat. Nikita *2013: "Vamos a bailar" feat. Calero *2016: "No Name" Rupee x Ricardo Drue *2018: "Tempted to Touch" feat.

Zaeden Sahil Sharma (born 2 July 1995), better known by his stage name Zaeden, is a singer and record producer. Early life and career beginnings Zaeden was born in Gurugram, India to Latika and Ashish Sharma. He also has a sister named Sanjana Sharma. ...

Achievements

Apart from dominating the charts in the Caribbean, Rupee has also gone gold in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

and in most of Europe. Furthermore, "

", a bonus track from his album '' 1 On 1'', recently featured in an episode of the American TV series, ''

Desperate Housewives ''Desperate Housewives'' is an American comedy-drama soap opera television series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Marc Cherry, Cherry Productions. It aired for eight seasons on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from Octobe ...

''. Over the years, Rupee has amassed a number of Party Monarch and

titles not only in Barbados, but also at West Indian Carnivals in the United States and Canada. His most popular hits have included "Ice Cream", "Jump" and the internationally released "Tempted to Touch" and "What Happens in de Party". In 2007, Rupee along with Jamaican

and Trinidadian

recorded the official song for the

2007 Cricket World Cup The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth Cricket World Cup, a One Day International (ODI) cricket tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007. There were a total of 51 matches played, three fewer than at the ...

- "The Game of Love and Unity" - written by Rupee. He has worked with artists such as

, Shaggy,

Thara Prashad Thara Natalie Prashad (born January 16, 1982), also known as Thara, is an American R&B singer and model. Her father is Indo-Guyanese while her mother is part Irish and part African-American. Formerly signed to the Desert Storm label most known f ...

, Fay-Ann Lyons,

Alison Hinds Alison Amanda Hinds (born 1 June 1970) is a British-born Bajan soca artist based in Barbados. She is one of the most popular soca singers in the world. Biography Alison Hinds was born in London on 1 June 1970 and grew up in Plaistow.Batey, A ...

, Red Rat, Destra Garcia. In 2011 during the

Crop Over Crop Over is a traditional harvest festival which began in Barbados, having had its early beginnings on the sugar cane plantations during slavery. History The original crop-over tradition began in 1687 as a way to mark the end of the yearly harves ...

festival season, Rupee won the Starcom Network group of radio station's title of "People's Monarch" with his song "I Am a Bajan".Rupee - Barbados' People's Monarch Crowning + Performance
Vid. of Rupee collecting 2011 People's Monarch prize in front of the radio station.

References

External links

Trinijunglejuice.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Rupee 1975 births Atlantic Records artists Barbadian reggae musicians Living people Barbadian soca musicians Barbadian people of British descent Barbadian people of German descent